Unexpected Occurrences
by Zire-7
Summary: Azula gets a secret Valentine but doesn't know whether its a prank or for real. How will this unexpected Occurrence unfold?
1. Firefly

**Unexpected Occurrances  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or its characters.  
I own only the plots/ideas/situations that I have placed them in.  
****TBM is the band: The Birthday Massacre. I do not know if the  
contraction?-TBM is copy writted or not.  
so I am going to disclaim any kind of ownership of it. I do not own this.**  
**  
Things you may need to know about this fic:**

**1. It will have yuri pairings in it and should this not be to your liking,  
No one is forcing you to read this fanfic.  
**  
**2. The term Dove Chaser is my term for women who are attracted to other women.  
This term can be used in the negative or positive aspect.  
**  
**3. This is my Valentines day modern ATLA AU one shot.**

**Pairings:  
**  
**Toph X Azula  
(This is my favorite pairing next to TyZula)**  
**  
Mai X Ty Lee  
(This one reminds me of pairing Beastboy and Raven together)**  
**  
Katara X Aang  
(Kataangers rejoice but never fear Zutarians these guys get  
no screen time because this fic wasn't written to focus on them)**  
**  
Sokka X Yue  
(No Comment)**  
**  
Suki X Zuko  
(Unfortunately everyone has their Crack pairings and  
this just so happens to be mine)**

* * *

"Um…Katara may I speak with you in private? " The question was asked by none other then Toph Briar-Fielding, one of the newest additions to the strange group of friends. Normally the blind girl was more on the quiet side of things as lunch time came around and just recently started zoning out on her friends.

Now she was damn near impossible to speak to with having to shout, what with the way she always had her headphones stuck on her head. For Katara Tidesdale this was rather unusual behavior at least with how much she knew the blind girl.

Giving her blind friend a quizzical look she said, sounding a bit reluctant "Sure."

As the two walked away a hushed conversation was taking place between the rest of the group.

"I wonder what she wanted to talk to my sister about, that she couldn't talked about in front of us?"

"Yeah, same here, Toph and Katara don't exactly get along. Plus their both…you know…benders. The both of them are still on probation for the camping incident." was the hushed response from Aang Acheron, who was the only one of the group who had tattoos much to the bewilderment of the entire student body. A 12 year old with tattoos isn't normal.

"Do you think that we should, maybe, follow them?" asked Sokka who had surprisingly stopped shoving food in his mouth with gusto.

"Whatever it is, its obviously not any of our business and I don't think they'll fight each other again at least not at school." was the sharp interjection into the conversation by Suki Fennstier.

"Yeah, seriously. Leave them be guys. It's none of our business." at the sound of his voice both Aang and Sokka jumped. They still hadn't gotten use to Suki's new boyfriend quite yet. He was one of the newer students; Zuko Obsidian. He was also the older brother of Azula Obsidian. As the rumors went she was apparently insane and she was only fourteen.

While she followed Toph, Katara's mind was trying to unscramble its self. _Does she want a rematch? What does she want? This is so strange. Why does she want to talk to me? _So caught up in her thoughts, she nearly ran into Toph, when the blind girl suddenly stopped.

"You okay there Sugar Queen?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to figure out when the boulders are going to start flying." she said with utmost seriousness in her tone

"I wouldn't drag you away from everyone if I had wanted to kick your ass. I like to entertain people." was the response from the blind girl with a very unnerving smirk on her face. Taking a calming deep breath she continued before she could chicken out "I want you to sculpt someone's face for me."

Shock and utter confusion were the two emotions that gripped the waterbender as she took in her blind earth bending friend. From the ragged dark green hoodie to her black shorts. She then noticed that yet again she wasn't wearing any shoes.

As she was about to ask Toph to explain, she really looked at her friend. Her hair was covering her face and she was tapping one of her feet against the ground. Which wouldn't have drawn her attention normally because Toph always did that. But this was nervous foot tapping, not the normal get a sense of my surroundings foot tapping, the blind bandit didn't do nervous.

"Before I agree to do this, you have to tell me who and why you want me to sculpt them. Does that sound reasonable?" she asked of her friend. "Yeah, it sounds more then reasonable." pausing Toph took a few deep breaths "I want you to sculpt…" another deep breath "Azula Obsidian's face for me before valentine's day."

"What?" Katara's tone caused Toph to flinch as if the waterbender had hit her.

"You heard me." that took everything in the small earthbender to keep her voice from trembling. _I will not give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry. _

"Why?" her tone was still ice berg frosty and Toph could feel the cold seep into her bones.

"Because, it's the only way that I can find out what she looks l-like" Toph's voice trembled and she clenched her fists. _I will NOT cry in front of Katara. I knew this was a bad idea. Why can't I ever listen to my gut? _

Hearing the tale tell sign that one was about to start crying Katara sighed and asked in a softer tone "Why, do you want to know what she looks like?"

"I want to put a face to the voice that sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it. I want to put a face to the most enchanting voice that drives me insane every time I hear it. More importantly I want to put a face to the voice of the girl that I like." Toph's tone got softer and softer as she spoke, betraying nothing to her friend that she was crying.

"How is a sculpture suppose to help you?" asked Katara kind of seeing where Toph was going with this. But needed to be sure.

"It's not like I can go up and ask her if I can run my hands all over her face. A sculpture that's sculpted by you is the next best thing." here she turned and pointed to the back of the art room that she had led Katara to, Katara's eyes followed the direction in which her friend had pointed,

"I almost knocked one over, a few months back but I caught it before it smashed into the floor. I ran my fingers across it and later after school asked the art teacher who had done the sculpture. Once she had answered, I asked her who it was of. She said it was one of Aang, tattoos and all."

Eyes wide in shock, Katara finally fit the pieces together. _Spirits am I stupid. No, not stupid, self absorbed. _

"Is this why you have been spacing out on us recently? Because you like Azula?"

"Yeah, I've been going through some stuff lately…no I've been going through it for the past three years. I had finally reached the surface of the pool that I've been drowning in since I was nine and thought I was on firm ground. Then Azula Obsidian shows up and messes with my already scrambled brain. So, are you going to sculpt her face for me or not?" her words came out sounding a bit melancholic and desperate.

"Alright I'll do it. But after its finished you and I are going to talk about things more in depth. It will take about two weeks to finish and not a moment sooner. If you try and rush me, it won't turn out like Aang's did. Understand?" The next thing that Katara knew was that she was on the floor and her head hurt.

Blinking away the white spots in her vision she faintly heard Toph's really quiet thank you as the earthbender walked out the door, just as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. _Did she just glomp me?  
_

* * *

**Two Weeks later...**

* * *

"So, Azula, do you have any plans for today?" the question struck a nerve with the 'supposedly insane' Ice queen.

"No, Ty, I don't. After all nobody in their right mind wants to date the closest thing that one can come too, when trying to find, a living breathing Harlequin. Not even the Joker wants a damn thing to do with this." her words caused the cheerleading captain to flinch slightly letting out a tiny squeak.

Sighing Azula turned to her friend and said "That was uncalled for, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking my frustrations out on you, just because some stupid non-bender thought it would be funny, to spray paint the words insane asylum onto my locker, every desk I sit at in all of my different classes, and the front door on our house."

Seconds later and everyone in the hallway froze as the captain of the cheerleading squad hugged the insane ice queen. Once the two had rounded the corner, it took several minutes for the shock to wear off. Before the hushed whispers could start in earnest the bell for 8th period rang. Scattering the hundreds of now late to class students, who witnessed that horrifying occurrence.

* * *

_Damn her, damn Sugar Queen and her perfect attendance record. I wish they could get it through their damn skulls, that I don't see like they do or the fact that there are something's that I just can't do by myself. _

Toph cursed Katara to eternal torture at the hands of Koh the face stealer for having to be a model student every single day. _How in the hell am I going to find her locker now? _WHAM!

"Son of a... Hey why don't you watc-" the stoic Mai Satomi's exclamation was cut off when she saw who it was that had crashed into her.

"Sorry about that. I was lost in thought and didn't sense you coming." Toph had quickly gotten up and immediately apologized to the girl she had knocked down.

"Its alright, I'm the one who should really watch what I'm doing and should really keep a better eye out for random blind people walking around, when their suppose to be in class." she said in a slightly joking/admonishing tone. After quickly making sure that none of her concealed weapons had shifted or moved, the ruthless hall monitor picked her self up off the ground.

_Shit its…this is not good._

"Miss Briar-Fielding is it?" her tone was even and sent a chill down Toph's spine.

"Yes."

"Skipping class and getting caught earns you a week of detention. But seeing as how I don't bust you very often I will make it one day instead. How's that sound?" to Toph it sounded reasonable but Toph had other ideas.

"How about no detention and you help me find something that I dropped?" she said while running her hands over the cd case trying in vain to find the note that was suppose to be taped onto it.

"You really want that week of detention don't you." instead of the deadpan emotionless tone, that Toph was expecting, she detected a hint of mirth in the legendary hall monitor's voice.

Smirking slightly Toph continued "Should you let this little incident stay off the record and help me out. I won't…" Toph motioned for the eagle eyed H.M./B.M.(Hall monitor/Bender monitor) to come closer. Rolling her eyes Mai stepped closer to the blind girl and tilted her head slightly as the girl continued "tell the principal that you have about three hundred weapons concealed on you for the sole purpose of stopping a bender, in the event that they start acting up."

With eyes as wide as saucers Mai hissed back "You wouldn't dare." _How did she know that I have weapons on me?_

Toph didn't say anything she simply did that eerie look you straight in the eyes even though I am blind thing that she did. Which gave Mai a glimpse of the blind bandit's devilish grin and pearly green eyes.

Seeing the grin on her face instinctively caused the unshakable and sharp edged Mai to take two or three steps away from the earthbender in front of her. _This is the…metal bending devil. _

"Okay, since you asked nicely, I will help you and this little incident will be our little secret. Can you tell me what I'm looking for?" her tone of voice may not have betrayed anything to Toph about how unsettled she was, her body however, was what betrayed everything.

"It's actually really annoying but it's a note that I had taped to this." here Toph held up a plastic cd case, with what looked like a burned cd in it, the cd had a strange looking design on it, which was black and green. "If I had lost the cd case, I could find it no problem, but paper huge problem. I think the paper that I printed the note out on is white but I don't know because I had to switch the paper in my printer recently." Mai could hear the urgency in the earthbender's tone.

Sweeping her eyes around the immediate area Mai didn't see any kind of paper laying around. Taking a second to go over literally running into Toph, she looked down at her self and there was a folded up piece of white paper stuck to her black and purple TBM band t-shirt. While carefully removing it, Mai saw the name on the front of it. _What the…hell is this? I don't care if she is the metal bending devil. Why Azula?_

"I found it. But why is Azula Obsidian's name on it?" this time it was Toph who stepped back hurriedly. _Why does this always happen when Azula's name is mentioned or said? How come everyone has to get defensive? So they can either tell me that she's crazy and dangerous or they that want to keep me from associating with her. _

"I was trying to find her locker before the end of 8th period. So I could put the note and this cd in there…its for valentines day." Never before had Mai ever heard someone mention Azula and valentines day in the same sentence. Who wasn't either shaking with fear or trying not to suppress a laugh. The seriousness and conviction that she heard in Toph's voice was what made her speak "I'll tell you what, If you let me take the cd I will personally see to it that Azula gets both the note and it. I'll even make sure that she finds them in her locker."

"Fine, I can't exactly say no to that. It's not like I can do it myself and I wouldn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth." with that said, she held the cd out for the older girl to take, once she had, Toph turned to walk away. Before she had gotten very far from Mai she said, making it sound as though it was an after thought, "Oh and Sunshine, if she doesn't get her valentine, I will show you what happens when someone crosses the metallic devil."

Smiling slightly at the retreating girl's back, Mai turned on her heel and headed straight for her friend's locker. _Hmm…she could very well be a perfect match for Azula, with those nerves of steel that she possesses. But I have to read what's in it. After all I promised Ursa and Zuko that I would watch out for her. Sorry kid but a promise is a promise. _

Once she had reached her destination Mai very expertly unfolded the note and started reading:

**Before you rip this to shreds and snap the cd in half, please read this all the way through first.**  
**Then you can do what ever you want with them. I made the cd for you and I think you might like it.**  
**If you listen to it and want to know who the artist is well that would be me.**  
**I can't really sing all that much, so all the songs are instrumental.**  
**Now, I'm sure that your wondering, why some random stranger would make a cd for you and give it to you today.**

**I made it for the most beautiful girl in the entire school, the girl who brings the warmth of the sun with her everywhere she go's.**  
**The girl who's voice raises goose bumps(in a good way) on my arms every time I hear her speak.**  
**The girl who drive's me crazy and who may or may not be crazy herself. But I don't believe the rumors.**  
**Should they actually turn out to be true it won't make a damn bit of difference nor will it change how I feel about you.**  
**The fact will always remain that I'm crazy about you. **

**Happy Valentines day, Firefly.**

For the first time in a few years; about five to be exact, Mai was crying. Not your usual loud and not to mention 'messy' crying. But Mai's style of crying which was silent and wasn't of the messy variety. _I can't believe that I actually want to be Azula right now. If I wasn't involved with Ty Lee, I would try my luck at catching Toph Briar-Fielding's attention.  
_

* * *

"So, Ty, what are you and Mai planning to do tonight?" she said in that very disturbing way that made you want to run for the hills.

With the faintest of blushes on her face Ty Lee Echo manage to stutter "W-W-What are y-you talking a-a-about? Me and Mai are not going to do anything tonight."

"Cut the crap, Ty." casting a quick look around, Azula leaned into her friend and whispered into her ear "I know the two of you have been dating for about a year now." her voice didn't sound cold or menacing to the cheerleader who insisted on wearing nauseating amounts of the color pink. It sounded like she was happy about the two being together.

Ty Lee glanced at her friend and saw a fleeting smile on her face. Before she could speak Azula beat her too it.

"After she and my brother broke up and she was getting depressed again, I was immensely relieved when she started taking a keen interest in you. Finally after me threatening to shoot lightning at her she told me about how much she liked you. I told her to tell you that but she wouldn't listen and she then forced me to get creative. Which is how that 'incident' occurred and the two of you finally got together." Azula had kept her voice low, while the two were headed for their lockers, they had been forced to move apart because they were getting strange looks from everyone.

"You mean…you don't…think that that's strange?" her voice was a whisper that was almost missed by her friend, had she not been focusing all her attention on her friend, waiting for her response.

"It's not like being a Dove Chaser is something that I consider to be wrong on every possible level. Besides, you two are just absolutely adorable together." her tone while cold was the norm for the Ice queen and Ty Lee could tell that her friend was happy for her especially with her statement at the end.

With happy tears running down her face Ty Lee glomped her friend and said "Thanks Azula."

"What's this then?" was the deadpan as the two were joined by their gothic friend who had already retrieved her things from her locker, that was half way across the school from Azula's and Ty Lee's.

Without a warning a blur of pink had slammed into the darkly dressed girl giving her a bone crushing hug.

"What did she do now?" she said while casting a hard glare Azula's way.


	2. Beneath The Surface

**Unexpected Occurrances Two**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or its characters  
I do not own Superchick's song Cross the Line.**

**I own only the plots/ideas/situations that I have placed them in**

* * *

"I simply told her how I brought you two closer together. Other then that I haven't a clue what I did." said Azula as she made her way past the happy couple.

As she passed her locker she gave it a distasteful glare. The janitors had though it amusing when she told them what was on her locker and told her that it would be a few weeks before they could give it a fresh coat of paint.

"Don't tell me that your just going to leave your stuff here at school, again…" as she trailed off she saw that Azula shuddered at the mere though of THAT ever happening again.

"Mai, why do you have to get her hopes up? She's never gotten a valentines anything, not even when we were kids." was the whispered reproach from her bubbly girlfriend who was still wrapped around her.

The loudest sound that the two had ever heard echoed through the hallway drawing some of the other students attention. Turning slightly Mai and Ty Lee saw that Azula had slammed her locker shut.

"Satisfied. There wasn't anything in there and since that's out of the way. I'm leaving, if you value your good health both of you will stay away from my house until tomorrow." while the threat was crystal clear to the rest of the student body, Mai and Ty Lee heard something else entirely; enjoy your evening together you two, you guys deserve it with the way you put up with me.

"Sure thing Azula." was the response from Mai while Ty Lee's method of goodbye was more extreme. Another glomp but this one was from behind as Azula tried to put enough distance between her friends and herself. But to late and she should have known that she wouldn't be able to escape Ty Lee. Especially since Ty Lee was a like glomp ninja or something. Didn't matter how far or how fast one could run, if Ty Lee wanted to give you a hug she would.

Being sure too keep her voice low, Ty Lee asked "Azula, where did you get that cd, I've never seen that design before."

"Apparently someone made it for me as a v-valentines day gift." _Its probably another person's idea of a cruel practical joke. Just like…not here, don't you dare think about that here. _

"I have to get home or my mother is going to send the cops to come and pick me up." She said effectively silencing an already speechless Ty Lee and slinging her bag's shoulder strap over her left shoulder the Ice Queen walked to the nearest exit while tightly gripping a cd case with a note attached to it.

* * *

Later that night as she lie awake and was bored out of her mind Azula's wandering eyes caught sight of the cd case. Both it and the note attached hadn't been touch by her, since she put it where it was earlier. Its not that she didn't want to know what was on both the paper and cd. She just couldn't bring herself to believe that someone actually liked her. After all she had gotten pranked before this.

_Why? Who? Is it a joke or is it real? _

_**That's right nobody cares about you. You're a worthless stupid and naïve girl. Destroy it. Destroy. **_

_I'm not listening to you anymore. Leave me alone. _

_**Not until you destroy that infernal cd case. **_

_Why should I? Your acting like your afraid of a little noise. _

_**No, I am looking out for something that will only get in our way. NOW DESTROY IT!**_

Choosing to ignore the voice in her head Azula popped the case open and put the cd in her stereo cranking it to full blast. Knowing full well that no one was home and that she could blast it as loud as she wanted to.

_**What ARE you DOING? SHUT THAT INFERNAL THING OFF THIS INSTANT. IF YOU DON'T LISTEN TO ME YOU'll GO SOFT!**_

_Don't care. Because I am sick and tired off listening to you! _

_**If you thought you were insane before you have another thing COM-**_

The voice in her head was drowned out as the first guitar rift was played and nearly stopped her heart from beating again. About four minutes later her heart was beating normally again and after about two or three more songs had played she remembered that there had been a note on the case.

She sat on her bed and very carefully unfolded it. While she sat she listened to the cd and she read the note six or seven times. The cd had thirteen songs on it and she had loved them all. _I wish you would have told me who you are stranger. __**Probably ashamed of being attracted to a monster like you. **_

Taking four or five deep breaths she started the cd over again and hit the repeat all button. Before going to sleep that night, she put the cd onto her ipod and typed Mysterious Stranger into the Artist field. Once she was done she grabbed her skull candy headphones and fell asleep listening to it and once again had it on repeat all.

* * *

**Four Years later...**

* * *

_**I'm gonna ride like I've got the cops on my tail  
I'm gonna live my life like I'm out on bail  
I'm gonna be out front, gonna blaze a trail**_

**I'm gonna cross that line**

_**I'm gonna ride like I've got the cops on my tail  
I'm gonna live my life like I'm out on bail  
I'm gonna be out front, gonna blaze a trail**_

**I'm gonna cross that line**

_For the love of all that has anything to do with the avatar. What does she want this early in the morning?_

Groaning loudly she rolled over and grabbed blindly for her phone as her hand finally found it. She didn't need to see the caller id to know that it was Toph.

"This had better be a matter of life or death. Or so help me not even the avatar will be able to save you."

"Hello to you to Sunshine and yes it is a matter of life or death…at least for you that is."

Rolling her eyes she said to her friend

"What do I have to do?"

"Do you still have those tickets I gave you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Then all I want you to do is make sure you get Azula to the show tonight. Anyway that you can."

"Alright, she'll be there. I'm going back to sleep now. Bye Toph."

"Bye and Mai, thanks I appreciate it."

A few seconds after the line had gone dead Mai shot bolt upright and stared at her cell phone intently as if she were trying to burn a hole through it. _Did she just use my actual name and thank me? Looks like I am up for today._

* * *

"Come on, Azula, it will be fun and who knows maybe you will find out who that Mysterious Stranger is finally." was the insistent voice of Ty Lee who was on the other end of her phone and there was no doubt in Azula's mind that she was sitting on Mai's bed right at that moment either.

Her two best friends had gotten a lot closer over the last four years, both of them and her brother unfortunately, were the only ones who knew about the Mysterious Stranger, who had been giving the Ice Queen valentines day gifts for the past four years. Azula had hoped that whoever it was, was a girl. She wasn't interested in men and no matter how talented the Mysterious Stranger was, being a Dove Chaser, isn't something that she could change.

"I guess it won't kill me if I went with you guys. When is the show?" as she said that she quickly yanked her phone away from her ear as Ty Lee squealed really loud, breaking her record of previous loud squeals, and said "Sweet! It starts at nine. We'll be by to pick you up in two hours at seven. Bye Zula."

Winching slightly Azula hit the end call button and popped in one of the five cds that she treasured above all else as she got ready for the show.

Two hours later and the terrible trio were off to the grand opening of an all ages bar that was opening up in the hills near the outskirts of the city. For about the first ten minutes everyone was silent until Azula couldn't take it any longer and asked Mai a question."Who are we going to see tonight?"

"It's a new band that's been real secretive about who they all are and what they sound like. I think there're called the Kyoshi Warriors or something like that but I can't positively say." _Of course if I did say Toph would kill me._

"Well, since its going to take like forty five minutes too get there do you guys want to listen to one of the Mysterious Stranger cds?" the question was innocent enough but both Mai and Ty Lee were speechless. Azula wouldn't let any ONE even see them, let alone listen to them.

With neither of them being able to think of something to say they simply nodded their heads.

"Spirit of the avatar. That was which Mysterious Stranger cd?" her voice was filled with awe and anyone off the street who hadn't known emotionless Mai before now, would have been freaked out from hearing that.

"That was the first one I ever got." was Azula's immediate response that successfully masked her surprise at hearing how much emotion Mai had put in to her question.

_Damn Toph, I know your freaking amazing now but this…at age 12 is overkill. _

"I can see, why, you want to know the identity of this person. There amazing." Unbeknownst to Ty Lee her statement caused a certain firebending prodigy's cheeks to redden ever so slightly.

"Yeah, its been driving me insane for the past four years." Laughing a little Azula added "I can't believe I just said that."

"Neither can we." the two chorused in unison.

"Here we are the Jasmine Dragon." said Mai from the driver's seat.

As Mai found a parking spot Azula and Ty Lee got a good look at the building. It looked like a giant one floor mansion with all of its windows heavily tinted. Above the door was a huge sigh that said in large red letters Jasmine Dragon Bar and Tea House.

The outside had millions of different dragons painted on it in different shades of red, grey, and blue. Some where black outlined in gold or red and others were gold out lined with red or black. The effect was a stunning, dizzying, and dazzling dance of dragons.

"Hey, are you two done gawking because I am not fond of waiting in lines." was the droll sounding tone of Mai who had exited the car already.

"Yeah, yeah, keep your dress on Mai we're coming." was Azula's half hearted attempt to sound mean and irritated at her, as both she and Ty Lee exited the car.

"Actually Zula, I would much prefer it if she took her dress off. Because for some reason Mai just doesn't look right with any articles of clothing on." came the ever exuberant and innocent voice of Ty Lee.

"Oh, is that right?" said a giggling Azula as she watched Mai's face turn the darkest shade of crimson that she had ever seen.

"The two of you are incorrigible." she snapped back beginning to walk even faster toward the entrance.

"Awe, your so adorable when your angry and embarrassed Mai." was the only warning that she got before her girlfriend glomped her from behind.

"You do know that I love you very much right?" whispered Ty Lee into the weapon mistress's left ear. That sent shivers down Mai's spine.

"Yeah I do." seemingly satisfied with her answer Ty Lee let go of her girlfriend but before she could get very far, her girlfriend had spun on her heels and pressed her red lipstick covered lips to the acrobats.

When the two finally surfaced for air, breathing heavily, they heard someone clearing their throat "If all you two are going to be doing for the next few hours is too try to inhale each other, go back to the car. If not lets go inside and Mai I think you might want to fix your lipstick before you do. It's a bit smudged."

Walking past them she didn't see that their faces were flushed and that both of them were holding hands as they followed her into the Jasmine Dragon. Smudged lipstick be damned.

* * *

The interior was just as snazzy if not more so then the out side had been. The bar's counter took up half the length of one wall and about twenty bartenders were manning it at any given point of time. The bar and the bartenders had an eye catching red, black, and gold color scheme going on. The rest of the space was devoted to the stage toward the back wall and the lounge area that was across from the bar with the black and purple dance floor separating them.

For so early in the evening, it was only eight, the place was jam packed and stuffed to capacity with hundreds of people.

Benders, non-benders, kids, teenagers, and even senior citizens could be found inside the Jasmine dragon. If Azula hadn't known any better she would have sworn that half the city was inside the building right then and there.

"Azula, it's a bit surprising to see you here. Are you here to see the Kyoshi Warriors too?"

Turning to face the speaker she recognized Aang Acheron as the one who spoke. He had really grown in the past four years and as he had, more and more girls had been interested in the boy with arrow tattoos. But she had to admit tonight he was dressed impeccably in black slacks, a orange and black dress shirt, complete with a black and orange striped beanie.

"Yes I am, avatar."

The avatar rolled his eyes and said "Please, its just Aang, I have to master the other three elements before I will let people address me as Avatar."

"Fair enough. Need any help with those drinks, Aang?" the surprise was evident on his face at the genuine tone that she used when she offered him assistance.

"Yeah, sure." he said a few seconds later as he handed her two bottles of water and a can of extremely hot dragon's breath hot chocolate.

"Just follow me, some of my friends are saving seats for when the concert starts and your friends can come along to if they want." with that said he took off through the massive crowd of people who were there for the live band. Not wanting to lose the lithe footed avatar, Azula tagged along after him and after a moment's hesitation Mai and Ty Lee followed Azula and the Avatar to the table.

Once he reached the table Aang started handing out drinks to the mass of people who were sitting at one of the larger black wood tables.

"Hey, Aang who's that behind you?" it was Zuko who asked and he barely managed to catch his dragon breath hot chocolate before it connected with his face.

"Figures, Zuzu wouldn't be able to recognize his little sister." she said as she set the two bottles of water on the table.

"A-Azula, what are you doing here? Last I heard you were prohibited from going anywhere since you set fire to dad's prison a few months back." he stuttered at the sight of his sister taking the vacant seat that was next to him.

_Inhale and exhale._ "I told you and the cops already that that wasn't me. Plus they caught the arsonist who was responsible last week. So I figured with my recent exoneration that I would see what all the buzz was about with these Kyoshi warriors." she said while trying to keep her voice from dripping venom.


	3. Over The Edge and Into Insanity

**Unexpected Occurrances Three**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or its characters  
I own only the plots/ideas/situations that I have placed them in  
**

* * *

"I'm glad that it wasn't you that did it but I wish it had been. Because then that bastard would be dead for sure" his voice had so much blood boiling hatred in it. That she wouldn't have believed that her brother just said that.

If she hadn't heard it with her own ears. Before any of them could comment on what Zuko had just said, their uncle Iroh walked onto the stage.

"Alright, folks, I just got the green light from the lovely ladies that have so graciously agreed to play here tonight and now may I present to you the Kyoshi Warriors." as he finished, the lights dimmed and then five spot lights lit up the stage revealing the amazingly beautiful warriors on it.

The singer who Azula recognized as Suki Fennstier was wearing a two piece dark green combat dress. The belt that connected the two pieces of the dress looked metallic and had fans etched into it, which were red, white, and gold in color. The bracer's on her arms and the greaves on her shins were the same as the belt. The boots on her feet were a dark green leather and she couldn't tell where the boots ended or where the hem of the skirt began.

The bassist was Katara Tidesdale, had blue paint on her face, neck, and shoulders. With just a tiny dark blue crescent moon painted in the center of her forehead, only its points where both directed upwards. Her cloak was dark blue and fastened together with a slivery white rope that was clasped together with a black fish shaped seashell.

She didn't have a very good view of the drummer or the keyboardist but thankfully she had had a clear view of the guitarist.

Who was none other then Toph Briar-Fielding. Her hair was pulled back into a high pony tail on her head, with a green and gold hair tie, except for the left half of her bangs that insisted on hiding a part of her face from view. The bracelets that she wore on her wrists and ankles were metal and had her family's business logo etched into them. It looked like a cross between a swan and a boar.

The loose fitting shirt underneath the first was dark green and the sleeves extended just past her elbows. The tunic she was wearing was black and said in huge white letters on the front of it: Blind Devil. Her belt was black leather with metal studs. Her shorts were also dark green and stopped just bellow her knees. Not surprising in the least was that her feet were bare. The last thing that Azula noticed, before Suki address the crowd, about Toph was that she wasn't covered in a fine layer of dirt like she normally was.

"Alright before we start things off we want to wish the happy couples out there a happy valentines day and our guitarist wants to dedicate our very first live performance to someone who is very special to her. Now before you ask who it is. She won't say but told me that her special someone will know who she is. Now let's ROCK!"

_Great this was a huge waste of my t- _once the guitar had sounded Azula's heart skipped a beat and she stared in astonishment at Toph. She watched in rapt fascination as the blind girl shredded the guitar.

For the entire duration of the show Azula kept her eyes mostly on Toph and for the first time listened to the words that no doubt went with Toph's songs. Suki's voice was amazing and perfectly matched up with Toph's insane guitar playing. Two songs later and Suki spoke to the crowd again.

"That was just a taste of what we can do. If you haven't figured it out by now I'm Suki Fennstier. Our guitarist is the ever lovely Toph Briar-Fielding a.k.a. the Blind Bandit, the Metallic Devil, and The Blind Devil. She is currently a junior at Four Nation High. She's about 5'9 and yes she is indeed blind. But don't let that fool you she doesn't need to see you, to be able to hand your ass to you in a fight.

Our bassist is the waterbending prodigy Katara Tidesdale a.k.a. the Painted Lady. She is currently a senior who also attends F.N.H. She's about 5'7 and has quite a temper if you push her buttons one too many times.

Our spirited tomboyish drummer is Smeller Bee Trent and has just graduated at the top of her class from Freedom Fighter Academy. She's about 5'4 and is a very feisty girl who is quite a bit to handle sometimes. But is great to hang with and always has your back.

Lastly are lovely keyboarder is the moon wraith Yue Tui-La she has just been cured of a rare disease called Faddler's syndrome that affects the persons blood flow and the disease is influenced by the moon. Just like the ocean tides are. She is about 5'8 and has been taking online classes. Is the best keyboarder in this city and is the peace keeper of the group.

This next one is for all the couples out there tonight and once again Happy Valentines day."

* * *

"Lets give it up one more time for the lovely Kyoshi Warriors." said Azula's uncle as the Kyoshi Warriors walked off the stage.

"So, Azula, tell us what was so damn interesting about Toph. That you had to watch her all night long." her brother paused briefly to gather his thoughts "besides the fact that she is a BAMF on guitar."

"I was watching her because she's my Mysterious Stranger." as expected her response confused the hell out of every one.

Naturally Sokka was the first to asked bluntly "Your Mysterious who now?"

Suppressing a intense urge to smack him Azula said, like she was talking to a slow person, "I said she's my Mysterious Stranger."

"Yeah that's what I thought I heard you say. But that's impossible because you're an insane person and Toph has better tastes then you." It was Zuko who said this while trying not to laugh.

Everyone else didn't have much luck in suppressing their laughter and let it out. Everyone except Aang, Mai, and Ty Lee. While everyone was laughing at her expense Azula stood and bolted for the door so fast that only three people saw her leave.

"Do you think we should go after her?" asked Aang voice full of sadness. He was one of the few people who knew what Azula's father had done to her when she was younger. Not even Zuko or Ursa had a clue what she went through at the hands of that man.

"No, you go and find Toph, me and Ty will go after her." with that said the three of them scattered, two of them following Azula, and the other in search of Toph.

* * *

"Toph, are you going to tell us the name of your mystery girl or what?" the question was asked by Suki but the blind girl knew that Yue and Smeller Bee were hanging off their every word.

"No, but I can tell you that she was here tonight. Which makes me very happy." _I suppose this means that I have to thank Mai again. _

"Please, its not like we won't approve or anything." Yue was now dying to know who it was that her blind friend was so attached to and protective of.

"That's just it, once you know you'll react just like everyone else does. I can't tell you at least not right now, because I don't even know if she likes me back yet. I promise once I do know, I will tell you who it is." she said hoping that they wouldn't ask her to explain it. It was bad enough that Katara knew.

"B-

Suki was cut off as Aang barged in on them.

"I'm sorry if any one was changing or is indecent but this is an emergency. Toph it's Azula she ran off and she was pissed too."

Faster then any one has ever seen her move Toph was already running out the door as she called back "Move your ass Twinkle Toes and you can explain while we run."

His explanation was short and to the point "Zuko and the rest of the gAang were poking fun at her after she told them why she was watching mostly you throughout the entire performance. Something about being a Mysterious Stranger or something like that. Only me, Mai, and Ty Lee saw her run out looking like she was about to start bashing heads together. They told me to come and get you while they went to look for her."

"Go get fetch Zuko and Katara." she said after listening to his explanation.

Knowing better then to argue with her Aang went to fetch their friends while she continued to head for the exit.

* * *

_Where the hell did she run off to? I'm going to kill Zuko when this is all over. _

"Mai, we're going to need the car. She's gone to the lake." The acrobat's tone was serious.

"What makes you say that?" she asked turning her gold eyes to her girlfriend.

"It's the only place where she can firebend without incinerating anything or hurting anyone. It's the only place where I could find her after… everything went down."

_She never ceases to amaze me. _

"Well even if that's the case. The lake is ten miles from here. There is no way that she will be there by now."

"Azula's on the track team and can run a mile in about six minutes, if she's pacing herself, she'll beat us there by five minutes if not ten. We've already wasted nearly an hour trying to find her and it takes about fifteen minutes to drive there from here because of the road's condition." she said

matter of fact and not sounding anything at all like the empty headed cheerleader that many mistook her for.

"Well then what are we waiting for lets get to that lake."

Both of them jumped at the sound of Toph's voice.

* * *

Her chest was on fire and demanded that she rest as she crashed through the bushes that surrounded the enormous lake. Having finally reached her destination the firebending prodigy collapsed hitting the ground hard.

"Your weak and pathetic." His voice was the usual cold blooded one that he always used. Even when he wasn't actually there her mind conjured him out of thin air.

"Your point?" She answered matching his tone of voice perfectly. She always used it when he crawled out of the corners of her mind.

"Worthless too, if you were anything like me you would have incinerated every last one of them. Nor would they have dared to laugh at you." his words had started to lose there power over her after Toph's valentines day gifts had been given to her over the past four years.

"Don't care." She really didn't care to hear him or see him anymore, not since Toph had come along anyway, even if she didn't know it was her until now.

"Then why did you run away? Like a coward." His words came out sounding smug implying that he knew she did care.

Rolling her eyes at her mind's manifestation of her father she said "I ran because I would have killed them all, if I had stayed there."

"Ah hah! There is hope for you yet. Go back there and give into your killer instincts. It gets much easier after the first time and then we can conquer the world together." he said that to her with sadistic glee that made her cringe.

"No. I will never become what you want me to, just because you paid attention to me when mom and Zuko wouldn't, it doesn't give you the right to turn me into your personal toy and tell me that I am worthless unless I do exactly as you say." her voice held venom enough in it to kill thirty fully grown men instantly.

"Stop making excuses like a weakling and do as I say! I have raised you to be a killer since that day you could walk! Pick your pathetic carcass up off the ground and go kill them all! Now! It's in your blood, you're a killer all you have to do is let go and give in and this torture will end!" his words hammered the nails of truth deeper into her skin. She had known that she was a killer, just like him, but she managed to refrain from killing anyone thus far in her life. Her desired to kill was easier to fight when she listened to Toph's music.

"I SAID NO! LEAVE ME ALONE YOU BASTARD!" was what she roared at him as he was currently standing not only in front of her but in front of the lake as well.

As he was about to open his mouth she breathed bright blue flames at him. Not stopping there she quickly jumped to her feet and started punching blue fireballs at him to ensure that he would keep his mouth shut while he was hit by her attacks.

Once the last fireball was launched at him she crossed her forearms in front of her and inhaled sharply as she exhaled she broke the X her arms had created, that sent a wave of azure flame at him. The intensity of the fire's heat created steam from the lake's surface as the flames past over it, that obscured her view of him.

"Very impressive. But I won't go away until you silence those insolent fools. Come on, stop pretending that you can change. Killing and being a cold hearted bitch is all your good at. You don't deserve Toph, after all no one, not even the blind can love a monster. Which is what you are and its all you'll ever be." he said matter of factly as he waltzed out of the steam completely unharmed.

Upon seeing him and hearing his words she fell onto her knees, tears running down her face, knowing that what he said was the truth.

"Fine you win. If you really want me to kill some one I will." her voice was steady and her breathing even, despite the tears running down her face.

"Excellent, excellent that's my girl." he beamed with pride as she finally consented to do his bidding.

"First lets start with Toph. That bitch has been a thorn in your side for far too long…" his voice trailed off as he saw a flash of sliver in his daughter's hand.

Her tears were coming faster now and the last words that she spoke to the air were,

"I'm sorry Toph. I can't do it anymore."

Then she used one of the few knives that she carried on her person at any given time to make two identical cuts along the insides of both arms. With her blood running down her arms she stood up, leaving the knife behind, and went to sit underneath her favorite tree. Reaching it moments later she sat down, leaned her head against the smooth bark, and closed her eyes.

* * *

"Can't this thing go any faster floor it Sunshine. I feel like I just ate sand. Which usually means something really bad just happened." _Please be okay Azula. Please. _

"She's by herself and no one in their right mind would want to get any where near…..her. I'm sure she's fine." Everyone in the car had heard Mai's brief pause. _Unless she…but she wouldn't…..would she?_

"Mai, what aren't you telling us?" It was Aang who asked the question from behind her.

Taking a deep breath and pushing the gas petal to the floor she said "Twice in the time that I have known her, Azula has tried to kill herself." Stunned silence met her statement for a second before everyone in the car had exclaimed in unison "WHAT?" But the loudest out of them all were: Ty Lee and Toph.

Before they could start talking all at once Mai began to explain

"I can't tell you anything else about it. I promised Azula that I wouldn't and well…a few months ago I saw that she was carrying knives on her. I shudder at the very thought of what we are going to find at the lake."

* * *

"What have you done?" his words were cold and he was still there.

Not bothering to open her eyes she said, "I did what you told me to. I'm killing someone, are you not satisfied father?"

"Of course not, your suppose to slaughter everyone who stood in our way. Not slit your own wrists open!"

Smirking slightly she said "Technically I cut my arms open. So that it wouldn't take long for me to die and rid myself of you. Any minute now and this monster will be dead. Its not like anyone is going to miss me. Except for Toph…" More tears flowed following her statement.

"You can reverse this. Use your firebending go on do it." his voice reached her from far away.

"That's just it father, I'd rather die then become like you." her voice got weaker and weaker as she continued to speak to him. Before drifting into nothingness she heard the faint sound of fast approaching footsteps. 

"I found her she's over here and I can smell blood." _It's a good thing that I can't see right now. _

"Zuko! Get your ass over here now." she said getting irritated that he was taking his sweet time about it.

"I'm right here there's no need to sh-out." he said stuttering slightly as he caught sight of his sister sitting in a quickly growing pool of blood.

Without turning the blind girl grabbed a hold of him and viciously yanked him forward. "Cauterize them now."

"Cauterize w-Great Spirits! What happened to her?" said Katara as she ran up to them.

"Ty don't come any closer or I will use you for target practice." warned Mai, knowing full well that her girlfriend didn't need to see Azula like she was now.

Ty Lee didn't need to be told twice instead of walking any further she pulled out her cell phone and made a phone call.

"What the fuck are you waiting for Hotshot? An invitation! Stop the bleeding. Cause if she dies tonight, she won't be the only one." her sharp dagger like words jolted him out of his paralysis.


	4. Unexpected Twists and Turns Pt 1

**Unexpected Occurrances Four**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or its characters.  
I own only the plots/ideas/situations that I have placed them in.**

* * *

"Someone is going to have to hold her while I do it. The pain will wake her up and she'll fight me."

"I'll do it." was her immediate response. Moving forward and very carefully taking a seat next to Azula, Toph pulled her onto her lap and put one arm around her waist.

"Grab a hold of her left arm while I do the right one." Doing as he instructed she took a hold of Azula's left arm near her wrist and failed to suppress a shudder as warm blood flowed over her calloused fingers.

Zuko wasted no time in creating a small fire dagger on his pointer finger, taking a hold of her right wrist with his other hand, he brought the flame to the crook of her elbow where the incision began.

About half way through the delicate operation, Toph felt Azula's body jerk in her grasp, and then seconds later ear splitting screams tore through the still night air. The moment her screams ceased she fought back trying to prevent her brother from saving her. She would have kept fighting to, if Toph hadn't whispered in her ear "Don't fight us F-Firefly. Please stop, I don't want you to die."

Once the word Firefly was spoken, Azula stopped fighting and relaxed into Toph's embrace. Without her fighting him, Zuko quickly finished cauterizing her left arm's wound.

"Here, Toph let me take her to the car." Zuko instantly offered but before he could touch his sister, Toph said "I think you've done enough for tonight Zuko. Don't you dare touch her. This is why I don't tell people that I like Azula. They either don't believe that anyone could like a crazy person or they tried to convince me to stay away from her. I say onto them fuck you."

Standing quickly and shifting her grip on Azula, so that she was carrying her bridal style, she hurried toward the car brushing past a very guilt ridden Zuko on the way. Who was hot on her heels after she had past him because he didn't want to get yelled at again by the Blind Devil.

To say that the car ride was tense would have been the under statement of the year. Toph still held Azula in her arms, Katara and Aang were in the seats directly behind Toph, Zuko was squashed on the other side of Ty Lee, who was sitting in the passengers seat up front.

While Mai was successfully succeeding in breaking every kind of driving law in the universe as she sped toward Ba Sing Se regional; the best and largest hospital in the city. As luck would have it, it was also the closest too. The silence that had settled was broken when the firebending prodigy stirred, albeit still hovering around the edge of death.

In a too quiet voice she spoke "Where am I and why do I feel like I have been thrown into a volcano?"

"Shh, shh…don't speak Firefly, save your strength, your going to need it." cautioned Toph to her firebender in the softest tone of voice that any of those present had ever heard her speak in.

"I-I-I just wanted him to go aw-away and he wouldn't leave me alone. I'm sorry Toph, I-I co-couldn't fight him an-anymore." her voice shook as tears started rolling down her face again.

"It's alright. Your safe now. No one is going to hurt you, now that I'm here. Please don't speak you have to save your strength. I'm not going anywhere." through the sincerity in her voice the firebending prodigy finally allowed her self to relax, resting her head against her Blind devil's left shoulder.

While the two had been quietly conversing with only Katara and Aang hearing them. A very angry Mai was tearing into Zuko about being a jackass.

"You're a real fucking piece of work Zuko! I can't believe you. You knew your sister's one weak point was those valentines day gifts. So what do you do? You laugh in her face about it and only after seeing her covered in blood do you feel the slightest bit of concern for her!" both her girlfriend and Zuko were dumbfound at hearing Mai cuss. She NEVER did that.

Not even when Ty Lee had accidentally spilt hot pink acrylic paint onto her favorite black dress, ruining it, forever.

"How in the hell was I suppose to know, that she was going to run off and slit both her arms open!" he hissed back at her, going into his craptastic defensive mode.

"You couldn't have. But that doesn't mean you couldn't have taken a second to actually use your idiotic brain cells and thought about how your words would have affected your sister! Besides you were to busy laughing your ass off to see the look on her face as she ran out the door. Me and Ty know that face well. It's the face she wore when she gave you that scar." she actually smiled when she saw him flinch, but she wasn't finished just yet,

"You remember don't you? How you broadcasted yourself reading her journal to the entire school? And also about how she challenged you to an Agni Kai and also how it was broadcast across the globe? Where everyone saw her permanently mar your face. Earning her the title of Insane Ice Queen."

"What she did to me wa-" he tried to defend himself but his scorching retort was cut off.

"It was no better then you deserved! You tortured your little sister when you could, knowing full well that mommy would believe every single lie you fed her. About how Azula always started the fights! Meanwhile if she went to Ozai all he would do was tell her, how worthless she was for letting you have the upper hand.

Then he would make her dodge fire whips and when your only seven years old, you don't really have that much energy to expend trying not to get burned!" Every word that she spoke stung him, he felt as though rock salt was being shoved into some non existent open sores on his skin.

"He did what?" his tone had lost its malice and gained bewilderment.

"Oh, that figures, you thought that daddy only saved that exercise for his little man Zuzu. Here's fireflakes for thought, all the punishments that he gave to you, were given to Azula. However he exercised her punishments twice as harshly as yours. So for every twenty fire whips he sent your way, he sent forty Azula's. Thank the spirits that your not as special to 'daddy' as Azula was or he would have done far worse then fire whip you.

Ever wonder why she doesn't like to be touched by men, at all?" Casting a glance his way she saw that he was three shades paler then he had been previously.

Just as quickly as her sharp edged knives are thrown by her to impale her targets she said, voice like hydrochloric acid melting through metal,

"Of course you didn't. Because you don't fucking care about what happens to her. Its only until she nearly dies that you seem to care and you know, the only reason that she left, was because she didn't want to give everyone at that table a scar to match yours!"

Everyone in the car had been listening to her bitch Zuko out for being an asshole. For a short while after her last words. He couldn't think of a single word to speak in his defense. He just sat, pale faced, trembling, and trying to suppress his sobs_. I promise you, Azula. That from now on I will be a real brother to you.  
_

* * *

It was twenty minutes later that a black 94' Jeep Cherokee sped into the emergency entrance to Ba Sing Se Regional. The occupants were surprised to see that an emergency team of doctors where waiting for them.

Before the jeep had even come to a complete stop the ER doctors had Azula out of it and were pushing her gurney through the sliding glass doors. With Toph following close behind them. All of the other occupants in the vehicle, except one, were all thinking along the same lines of what the hell just happened?

"If your wondering what just happened, I can tell you. When Mai told me not too get to close to Zula, I called the hospital and told them to prepare for an incoming blood loss victim. I told them that Zula was O negative and that they would need to have plenty of it handy for when we arrived in a speeding black 94' Cherokee."

While everyone excluding Mai gave her surprised looks, the sad non-bubbly Ty Lee said "One of my sisters silt her wrists open once. I overheard her doctor say to my parents "It's a miracle that you had the prescience of mind to call ahead. Because if you hadn't your daughter would have died today." Since Zula had lost a lot of blood, I knew that I had to call ahead of time if she was going to survive this."

* * *

"Nurse get her out of here now." shouted one of the ER docs as he caught sight of the blind girl, who was refusing to leave.

"I'm sorry but you can't stay in here. Don't make me call the Dai Lee on you." the nurse's voice while soft was stern.

"Yeah, right." She scoffed, "Go ahead and call those sissy boys in here. I'll drive them into the floor. I'm not leaving my girlfriend. Unless you think you can make me, Wallflower." her voice was as cold as steel and just as the nurse was about to shout for hospital security; the Dai Lee.

Another voice interrupted her "Toph, what are you doing here and why are you covered in ink?

"Ink? This isn't ink, Uncle Zhong, this is Azula's blood that I'm covered in." _Is this why her blood smelt off to me? Why would it be black?_

"Are you sure that's not ink?" was the inquiry to his niece as he pulled her from the room and down the busy hallway to his office. Once he had shut the door, she answered him. "I'm positive, Uncle. But it doesn't smell right, it's smells more like rusted copper then iron."

"Toph, would you mind coming with me? I want to run some tests on the blood that's on you. I think I may know why it smells like rusted copper. But I have to be absolutely sure." as he finished he saw the tension in her body's muscles and knew that she was about to say no.

"I promise, that as soon as I have her blood cleaned off of you that I will order them to let you in there while they treat her." Immediately after he spoke her muscles relaxed and with a heavy sigh she said "Alright."

* * *

**Dr. Briar-Fielding's office, 1:30 A.M.**

* * *

"What, exactly, are you trying to tell me doctor?" her tone was weary and tired. She had arrived at the hospital around midnight and she still hadn't been allowed in, to see her daughter.

"This may be difficult to hear but your husband hired one of his associates to keep dosing your daughter with Drake bane. A highly concentrated psychosis inducing enzyme, that is secreted by the dragcoonius lettaeos plant family as a defense mechanism. That when taken in extremely large doses can cause in humans: hallucinations, extremely violent behavior, and suicidal tendencies." taking a few much needed deep breaths he continued,

"And at this point in time, there are no known anti psychosis medications that are strong enough to neutralize its effects.

However its effects are not permanent and it doesn't cause any damage to the brain, no matter how long it's been taking or given to the individual. Unfortunately because your daughter has been dosed with so much of it for so long, without it being completely out of her system before another dose was administered. It's frightening effects wont wear off for another six to ten years."

"Six to ten years, your telling me that my husband did this to her?" she asked with subtle undertones of fury in her voice.

"Afraid so, it seems that he hired a man named Zhao for the job at least that's who the W.L.P.D.(White Lotus police department) are looking at as suspect at this point in time. If it hadn't been for Toph pointing out to me that Azula's blood smelt more like rusted copper then iron, the rusted copper smell and color distortion of the blood are another effect that Drake bane has.

I don't think we would have known about this until it was far too late." he answered her question in his professional tone but his tone was gentle. He knew what it was like to be put through something like this. It had been four years since his wife and son had died from being dosed with Drake bane.

"However, Azula is a very lucky girl." he added in hind sight. Because once he thought about it, not one time had he ever heard of someone who had been dosed so heavily since birth, surviving for this long.

"How so? My daughter is insane and she has always had this murderous energy wafting off of her like perfume. And from what your telling me it will be another six years and ten at the most before she is in a better state of mind." hopelessness and despair was what he heard in her voice as she spoke about her daughter's condition.

"In most cases that involve Drake Bane. Nearly all who have been dosed like your daughter die before they reach the age of ten. By all the Great Spirits mercy, your daughter should have been dead eight years ago.

But she's still here breathing and trying to keep her head above the water. Now if you will excuse me Mrs. Obsidian, I have patients to check on. Oh and I must warn you try not to wake my niece up, when you visit with your daughter. The poor thing is exhausted after everything that's happened tonight." with that said he sent the beautiful women who was the mother of his niece's girlfriend off.

* * *

**Room 11, Recovery wing, 2:06 A.M.**

* * *

The first thing that Azula's mind could process, as she groggily opened her eyes, with absolute confidence was that she was in the hospital; one can never mistake the sight of white and the smell of clean for anywhere else.

Her head felt as if someone had taken a sledge hammer to it and her arms a white hot branding iron. For an undetermined amount of time, she lay, starting at the walls of her surprisingly large room. At some point during her inactivity her eyes glanced at the white bandages on her arms. _Great…two more reminders of how much my life has sucked up until now. Once again they were self inflected. Why does my life have to be so damn complicated?_

"Sounds to me like your scared, the Pebble. Ha, ha, ha." mumbled a sleeping Toph from the floor. The moment she had heard her, Azula tried to sit up but a wave of dizziness hit and she was forced to lie back down. While waiting for the dizziness to dissipate she caught sight of Toph on the ground.

She was lying flat on her back and was still quietly talking in her sleep. Her hair was still tied back but a few strands of her black hair had escaped and hung loosely over her eyes. _What did I ever do to deserve someone like you? If you weren't so damn adorable looking right now, I'd wake you up, so I could ask. _As she thought that the firebending prodigy felt the heat in her cheeks.

"I never thought that I would see the day when my sister would be blushing. Least of all because of a girl." he said, sitting in a chair near the door, upon hearing his voice her face drained of all color. While being sure to keep her eyes on Toph, she spoke with a tired voice "What do you want, did you come to gloat, because if you did just do it already."

"I won't bother trying to tell you that I'm sorry for everything that I said. Because you would just see it as me pitying you. Instead I will prove to you that I can be a proper brother. But for what its worth Azula, I never meant for something like this to happen. " closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he continued,

"I just couldn't believe that Toph liked you so much. She's really hard to read sometimes. What I 'm trying to say is that I shouldn't have kicked you when you where down. I won't lie, I'm still pissed about this scar you gave me and that's why I said that to you. I also could have clued you in on who your Mysterious Stranger was when I found out about it."

Managing to tear her eyes from Toph, Azula locked her molten gold eyes with her brother's.

"Really?" sometimes with the way she spoke he often wondered if Azula was really a firebender because half the time she could give you frost bite simply by breathing in your direction.

"Really, I accidentally found one of her notes. It was during the trial and I had asked you if I could raid your music collection. I think the only reason that you had said yes, was because you were distracted.

After looking through everything I turned to leave and stubbed my toe on your computer desk. Which in turn cased me to bang my shin against your computer chair and that's how I wound up facedown on your floor. Rolling over onto my back I caught a glimpse of white underneath your black computer desk and-"

"Found her valentines day notes taped there." _Only he would find them on accident . I should have known that nothing in my life can be kept private._

Despite her interruption he continued as if she hadn't,

"So naturally when one see's something like that they have to snoop. I don't know if it was luck or what but apparently it was the first one that she gave you. After I read the line: Happy Valentines day, Firefly. Instantly I knew it was Toph who had typed it. Her nicknames for people are spot on but normally there a lovingly annoying type of nickname. But the one she gave to you…told me how much she cared about you."

_I'm…her Firefly. _

**_Well Firefly, I am going to love watching you destroy this thing the two of you have. Because if I know my Firefly, you wind up burning the things that you love the most._**

"Zuzu, do you know where my ipod and headphones are?" her question baffled him. But what really sent the alarm bells ringing in his head was how she used her childhood nickname for him.

"I think there still in Mai's jeep. Do you want me to go and get them?" he said in a soft almost brotherly tone.

She nodded and as he was about to turned the handle on the door, she said, "Please hurry."

Even more alarmed at hearing his sister use the word please; Azula's vocabulary lacked the word. He bolted from the room and nearly ran into his mother. Quickly dodging around her, he continued on his way at full speed.

"Azula, pray tell, why was your brother running from this room like Koh the face stealer was after him?" asked her mother as she gracefully walked through the door.

Her mother as always was positively stunning in a black and red businesswomen suit. Complete with three inch black stiletto heels with a matching black and red tie, her mother never wore any jewelry and was almost always wearing the tiniest amount of make up.

She walked in further being extra cautious as she skirted around the still sleeping Toph to take a seat that was closer to Azula's hospital bed.

"I asked him if he knew where my ipod and headphones were. He thought that they had still been in Mai's jeep and he had offered to fetch them for me." she answered her mother's question in a tone of voice that unsettled the super mom that Ursa was.

"Why do you need your ipod?" was her question, she really wanted to know. Her daughter had always managed to keep the women guessing. Just like her father had.

"His voice started talking to me again and still is. It always disappears for a while when I do things like this and unfortunately it has never failed to return after awhile. But I haven't had resort to such extreme measures like this in the last four years…until tonight anyways." it was the creepiest thing that she had ever heard her daughter say.

What's more is that Ursa was absolutely positive that Azula meant every word. Just as she was about to speak her daughter cut her off.

"If you're going to ask why I haven't tried to off my self more over the last four years. You can thank the amazing, beautiful, and insane Toph Briar-Fielding for that, who just so happens to be sleeping soundly on the floor next to you. Who's music kept me from slipping further into the bottomless depth's of insanity."


	5. Unexpected Twists and Turns Pt 2

**Unexpected Occurrances Five**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or its characters  
I own only the plots/ideas/situations that I have placed them in**

* * *

Her mother's disbelieve was immeasurable as she listened to her daughter speak about Toph in such a tender and warm hearted tone. _Thank you Toph, thank you for saving her when I wouldn't. _

"Azula, I've been a horrible mother to you. The truth is your so much like your father that you frighten me just like he does. I was terrified that you were going to turn into him. I realized far too late that not treating you as I did Zuko was a mistake and it only made things harder on you. I can't figure out where everything started to spiral down ward with you." the guilt was threatening to overwhelm her mother.

Not bothering to soften her tone in the slightest Azula said, voice like liquid nitrogen,

"Oh I don't know mother, I think it might have been when I over heard you speaking with father. You asked him if he knew what was wrong with me and why I had to be so horrible to everyone all the time. Which told me at the age of ten, all I ever needed to hear to confirm my suspicions, that you thought I was a monster. So don't worry the feelings of discontent and distaste are mutual but at least I have the decency to be direct with my dislike for you."

"I deserve every last ounce of hatred that you have for me. But I do love you Azula don't ever think for a second that I don't." she said in a soft tone. Azula almost believed her. Almost.

"Then why didn't you stop him?" Azula's question confused her. Seeing the confusion Azula clarified, "I gather from the look on your face that, my screams never woke you up." the widening of her mother's eyes said it all.

"So you did hear me. Tell me why?" her tone made Ursa flinch.

"The one and only time I attempted to interfere, was when he threatened to kill me and your brother if I ever tried to do so again and he would have."

Inhaling deeply Azula sat up. Closing her eyes and waiting for the dizziness to pass, Azula turned her whole body so that she was facing her mother.

"Here's what your cowardice gave to me."

For what seemed like hours Azula sat frozen in place, she avoided looking her mother in the eye.

Slowly she reached up to grip her hospital gown at the neck and yanked on it. Not being able to sustain the strain the flimsy fabric tore and she tossed the ruined gown behind her. Because she was a firebender her skin didn't break out in goose flesh as the cool air in the room made contact with her alabaster skin. The moment that she had torn the gown off she had felt the self consciousness sink its cruelly sharp serrated edges into her flesh.

Her mother's sharp intake of breath made her wish that she had had on more then just her black Victoria secret bra and a pair of black and red boxers underneath that hospital gown.

Inwardly her mother cringed at seeing the scars on her skin. They criss-crossed it, making her look like an over used cutting board. The many burns that Ursa could see were an angry red but the burn that caught her eye was the one that ran underneath her daughter's bra and continued upward kissing the edge of her collarbone. Some of the burns were perfectly shaped hands but there were more of those on her daughter's legs then anywhere else. The scar tissue on some of the nastier lacerations were black and grey.

While her mother was trying to catalog the scars on her body. Azula was reliving the memories of receiving them. From the biggest scar on her back to the tiniest scrape on her left ankle. Every time she saw one it made her remember every lasting second of agony that that particular mark caused her. The ones she loathed seeing when she showered or bathed were the hand print burns on her thighs.

"Oh, Azula." while mother and daughter had been talking, Zuko had returned with her ipod but he hadn't wanted to interrupt them. But he couldn't help himself after she had shown their mother her scars.

"Thanks for fetching my ipod for me. It took you long enough." she said without the slightest bit of emotion in her voice.

Before either of them could speak Azula lay down again and pull the blankets up to her neck, hiding her scars from view, and then she rolled onto her side turning her back on them.

"Zuko just leave it next to the bed and mother be sure to hit the lights as you leave. I'll see you tomorrow, bye." her voice was still devoid of all emotion as she dismissed them.

Neither of them said a single word. Zuko placed both her ipod and headphones next to the bed. Right before the door shut Ursa turned the lights off and said "Goodnight Azula."

Waiting until she couldn't hear their footsteps in the hallway, Azula couldn't hold her tears back anymore. At first they just fell soaking the pillow and then the sobs came and kept coming and coming and coming.

"Crying won't help you. But if you insist on doing it I'm just going to have to start calling you crybaby. It's all you would ever did when I violated you." his words if at all possible made her cry even more.

"What, no scathing retor-"

"Alright who's ass do I have to kick?" asked a groggy sounding Toph.

Letting out a shaky giggle Azula said "M-mine."

"Damn, I was afraid of that." her response got another giggle out of Azula.

"I find that hard to believe."

"What, that I'm afraid of something?" she asked trying to keep Azula from lapsing back into tears.

"Yeah. You don't seem the type." for anyone else the respect and admiration in her tone would have been missed. But for Toph it was plain as day.

"Truthfully, I'm afraid of plenty of things. But I hide it behind my many charming qualities." Azula's laughter made Toph smile and what she said next made her grin even wider "Since when have cockiness, sarcasm, and bluntness been considered charming qualities?"

"From the moment I was born."

While Azula laughed some more, Toph decided that she loved hearing her laugh.

"If your aim was to get my mind off of things, mission accomplished." Breathing deeply Azula thought, _Why is she so easy to talk to? _

"Did you really mean what you said, to your mother earlier, about me?" asked Toph who sounded unbelievably nervous to the firebender.

After Toph had asked her question, Azula was immensely glad that Toph was blind, that she was still lying on the floor, and that the lights were off as she felt her face flush.

_There is no way that she could have heard me say that. She was asleep…unless…that cheeky devil. But there is no way that she was pretending the entire time. No one can be that patient. _

Toph waited, tapping her fingers against the cold floor in time with Azula's rapidly beating heart. While she lay on the ground Toph could have sworn on the head of the avatar, that she waited for an eternity before she heard Azula's answer.

"Every word, Toph." if her hearing hadn't been as acute as it was, Toph wouldn't have heard her. The gentleness and softness of her tone would have unsettled Toph had she not heard Azula speak like that once before.

Before she could even tell her mouth to start forming the words for her question the blind earthbender answered her, "I meant every word, Firefly. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have four notes taped underneath your black computer desk." After she had finished Toph chuckled quietly.

_I can't believe that I like this girl so much, when she's so insufferable. _

"Which is something that I still can't fathom, how can you like me so much? I'm not a very nice person." her words, were like lead in Toph's gut. _If you were a horrible person, you would have let me drown that day. You may have forgotten it but I never did._

"You saved my life once and I never got to thank you for it. Thank you Azula." she said quietly.

"I don't remember doing anything of the sort. You probably have me confused with someone else. I don't help people, I hurt them." her tone gave Toph chills.

"I never forget a voice or how someone walks. No one has the same vocal patterns or tread. Just like no one can have the same finger prints. I may not have known that you were the one who pulled me out of that swimming pool at the time. But when I was sent to live with my uncle." she paused to gather her thoughts briefly before continuing,

"A few weeks after I had been enrolled at F.N.H, I skipped my third hour. I hated that class, I was the only bender in it and everyone kept trying to do everything for me. So I skipped it quite a bit, but on this particular day I decided to let my feet wander and take me where they wanted. In a strange coincidental like way they took me straight to you.

Or rather where you, Mai, and Ty Lee had liked to hang out before Mai became a hall monitor. It just so happens that on this day someone had messed with Ty Lee and even went so far as to make her cry. As I listened to Mai and Ty Lee's conversation I was literally rooted in place when I heard you speak. But it wasn't in your 'insane' Ice Queen voice that I had heard you use everyday. Even when you spoke in that voice I felt really irritated that I couldn't place were I had heard it before. But you spoke with the same cadence and pitch as the girl who saved me. I had finally found the Firefly that rescued me. I finally had a name to the voice that had been haunting me since I was six years old."

"T-that was you? I saved You that day." stuttered Azula immediately after Toph had finished her tale.

In truth Azula had instantly recognized Toph when she had first seen her at school, when she had transferred there with her brother. It had been utterly shocking when Azula had seen the girl bend during the semi annual Master's qualifications tournament later that year(and thus convinced her that this girl couldn't have been the one she saved). But the most outrageous thing was that Toph had already been declared a master at the age of ten and a self taught one at that.

The only reason that she had even been at the tournament that year was to show off the new style of bending that she had created, earning her the title of Metal bending Devil, it was the same year that Azula had earned her title: Azure Dragon; to have the right to be called a dragon you have to be able to produce the cold-blooded fire(lighting). There were only two other dragons in the entire world: Dragon Hellfire(Ozai) and the Dragon of the West(Iroh).

"You sound surprised. I suppose its to be expected, I've changed a lot in the past ten years. But yeah that was me before I had learned how to see through my bending. It was actually that incident that drove me to start experimenting with my bending and it all went uphill from there." _Talk about taking a traumatic experience and transforming it into something beneficial. _

"But this still doesn't help me understand why you like me so much."

"Your father beat and molested you, you believed that your entire family though you were worthless, the two friends that you had were afraid of you for the longest time, and on top of it all you were slowly going insane. I personally would have tried to end my life four or five times before the age of ten if I had all of that going on.

But despite all of that you're here right now, you may enjoy being nasty to people but you haven't gone so far as to inflict permanent physical harm unprovoked, and you have only ever tried to commit suicide three times. If your not the embodiment of perseverance and strength then I don't know what is. Even with everything around you falling apart you were always there for your friends and even your brother.

What this says to me is that you're a good person. Besides good people have problems too." It was hard for her to hear Toph break her life down like she had. But the reverence and affection that she had heard toward the end in her voice more then made up for it.

Before Azula could think of something to say the sound of Toph's snores reached her ears. _Even something that's suppose to be obnoxious is adorable when Toph does it. _Thought Azula as she smiled to herself.

Azula's eyes widened as she listened to Toph sore quietly for a moment longer. _I can't believe that she still sores exactly the same as she did that day. I'm not a good person Toph. But one day I will be, if only for you_.

Those were her last thoughts as sleep's call was finally answered by her body.


	6. Drowning Again

**Unexpected Occurrances Six**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or its characters**  
**I own only the plots/ideas/situaions that I have placed them in**  
**I own Ty Yi my ATLA oc.**

**Point of interest:**  
**Ty Yi is Ty Lee's oldest sister out of the five that she has**

* * *

**Six months later…**

* * *

To say that Azula was uncomfortable would have been like saying Ty Lee only liked the color pink. She was so sure that everyone could see the scars underneath the three hundred dollars worth of concealer that she always used whenever she went to a pool. That she was giving every one that looked her way a nasty glare that promised unimaginable pain if they didn't stop staring.

After all it isn't every day that you see the Ice queen wearing a black and gold bikini. The Ice Queen wasn't know for, ever showing off more skin then necessary. But in this instance, Ty Lee, wouldn't let her wear a simple less skin revealing swim suit then she had wanted to.

_I can't believe that I actually let Ty convince me to come to __**This **__pool today. Tisk tisk, Azula be honest with yourself you only came, so that you could see Toph in a swim suit. Even if all she is going to do is sleep all day._

"What are you blushing about?" asked an incredulous Katara as she saw the redness in the other girl's cheeks. The Ice queen didn't blush. Not in embarrassment nor shame or any other type of situation when flushing of the face is suppose to occur.

Letting a smirk form on her face Azula answered, using a tone of voice that Katara had never ever heard her use before, "Toph wearing a swim suit, particularly in the two piece variety."

Katara's face flushed in embarrassment as she simply said "Oh." _I still can't figure out how she manages to turn the tables on people like she does. _

While Katara was thinking that, Azula was cursing herself silently _Damn it, I have to learn how to control that or my reputation is going to go up in smoke. _

"Speaking of Toph, where is she?" asked Ty Lee, who was sunbathing on the chair next to Azula's.

"Now that you mention it Ty, I haven't seen her since she left with Zuko, Sokka, and Aang to go get ice cream." came Mai's answer from her chair to Ty Lee's right.

As Mai spoke Azula saw her discreetly running her eyes up and down the entire length of her girlfriend's body.

"Enjoying the view Mai?" upon hearing Azula, the weapon mistress started and fell off of her chair.

Landing in an undignified heap on the ground, red faced, she cast a knife like glare the firebender's way. But her glare was replaced with disbelief as she heard her friend's next word's "Looks like I'm not the only one who likes seeing her girlfriend in a two piece swim suit."

_I was right. Toph is good for her, she slowly softening Azula's edges. _

Deciding to get into the spirit of things, Mai said while turning her eyes to lock them with Ty Lee's warm grey ones, "No, Azula, I don't like seeing her in it, I would much prefer it if she took it off. But alas no, she can't because there are children present."

Seconds later Katara, Suki, and Yue, all stared in confounded astonishment as Mai, Azula, and Ty Lee broke out in uncontrollable giggles.

Apparently laughing at an inside joke that was lost on them. But the most astonishing thing out of all was hearing Azula giggle. Only Toph and Azula's friends had heard her giggle before. Azula didn't giggle, it was girly and she was anything but girly. Yeah sure everyone knew that she was capable of laughter but it was cold laughter. The kind that made you want to cower and dissolve into the ground when you heard it.

As the giggles quieted the three silent girls who had witnessed the occurrence heard both Ty Lee and Azula remark in unison "Mai your incorrigible." Before they all dissolved into more giggles.

"Uh…Katara what just happened?" asked a dazed Suki as soon as she had remembered how to speak.

"I can't safely say. I don't know whether I should start screaming and shouting that the world is going to end or whether I should dive into the pool in an attempt to wake myself up." was Katara's equally dazed reply. After a moment or two they turned their heads in Yue's direction.

"Don't look at me. I'm still waiting for the flesh eating zombies to start crawling out of our ears." stated an equally bewildered Yue.

Just as their giggles were quieting again, a commotion drew the six girls' attention.

"You clumsy mud slug why don't you watch were your going? You just ruined my six thousand dollar, Armani handbag!" exclaimed a nastily sweet voice.

"Why don't you have your fucking boy toy watch where he's firebending next time?" was the venom filled retort from the blind earthbender who's feet nearly got scorched as she had been walking past the oddly familiar sounding girl. _She kind of sounds like Bubbles. But she doesn't have a perpetual undertone of bitterness, like this girl does. _

"He will firebend were ever he wishes too." here the girl's eyes narrowed and then the dots were connected by her brain, "Ah I see, your afraid of fire." was the response in a tone that would have made even Azula shudder.

"Yeah for good reason. Dumbasses like your boy toy shouldn't be allowed to fling it around with reckless abandon, when the mood strikes them!" despite the scathing tone that Toph had spoken in, the girl hadn't even batted an eye before saying, "Shoji make the scaredy cat dance."

"With pleasure Madam Echo." was the large boy's sadistic way of saying yes.

The moment Toph had heard the word dance she started to hurriedly back away from the two of them. _This isn't good if he starts firebending and hits one of my feet, I'm screwed._

"You heard the lady, dance." he said as he created a fire whip in his left hand and sent it her way.

As Toph felt the heat headed for her, she jumped back two or three feet which nearly closed the gap of ground between her and the pool's deep end.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" asked an out of breath Zuko as he had finally managed to catch up with Toph.

"Entertaining my girl. That's what." he said kicking one of his feet in Zuko's direction, a wave of orange fire accompanied the kick, forcing Zuko to dissipate it with both hands. Once he had, he was then forced to intercept another wave of fire as the other firebender directed it toward a couple of kids.

While Zuko was occupied, Shoji shot another fire whip Toph's way. Which caused her to stumble backwards and as she did her left foot hit open air. Instead of panicking like one normally does when there about to fall, Toph threw her weight forward as fast as should could, wind milling her arms desperately trying to prevent herself from falling into the pool. _I'd rather get burned, burns heal faster then wounded pride. _

Seeing that her victim wasn't going to fall into the pool, she quick as a flash darted underneath the descending fire whip and viciously shoved Toph backward. Once her hands had connected with Toph, Ty Yi danced away narrowly avoiding the fire whip.

The instant that Toph had felt the other girl's hands dash her hopes of avoiding the water. Her grip on her rising terror slipped and as her back met with the surface of the water sending a spray up into the air, a loud earsplitting scream tore from her throat. Before Toph sunk beneath the surface and water filled her mouth , she barely managed to scream "FIREFLY!"

In the blink of an eye Azula had launched herself from her chair and dove head first into the fifty foot deep pool's shallower end. Without bothering to surface for another breath before diving, Azula shot like a torpedo for Toph.

Despite having followed Toph into the pool within seconds the earthbender had sunk like a stone. Forcing the firebender to dive all fifty feet, just as she reached Toph, Katara gave herself a vicious shake. _Katara you idiot you could have froze the entire fucking pool! _

Jumping up off of her chair she ran to the pool's edge and saw that Azula was about to kick off of the bottom. _There is no way that she's going to be able to surface with Toph, the girl's solid muscle. _Taking a deep breath Katara spotted Aang hurrying to the pool's edge opposite her. Locking her blue eyes with his stormy grey ones both Sifu and pupil performed the same arm motions. That forced the water to be pulled between the two waterbenders' wills.

Once she had Toph, Azula was about to push off the bottom hopefully reaching the surface before she passed out from oxygen depravation. _Way to go Azula, dive after her and in the process get yourself killed. _When she felt the water pulling up and away from both her and Toph. _What the hell…oh right waterbenders duh. _

If Azula hadn't been holding onto Toph she would have given herself a smack on the forehead. Instead as the water was pulled away by Aang and Katara, she shifted her grip on Toph so that when there wasn't any water holding the two up that they didn't crash onto the ground.

Just as Katara had, the four waterbender lifeguards shook off their paralysis and approached the pool on either side of the avatar and his Sifu. The other four took a second to observe them and then flawlessly synchronized their movements with the avatar's and Katara's. With six waterbenders the water was pulled apart and froze in place. Resulting in a narrow water free pathway across the entire length of the pool.

Without the water impeding her anymore, Azula took a few deep breaths and put her four years on the tract team to good use, sprinting across the pool in under three minutes.

"Katara! Get over here she's not breathing." while her tone was sharp and cold sounding to Katara, to Mai and Ty Lee it sounded desperate and concerned.

"Coming, put her on one of the chairs." Azula wasted no time in doing as she was instructed by Katara. She lay Toph gently on one of the nearest pool chairs.

Seconds later Katara was ordering Azula to back away from Toph as she reached them. Reluctantly, she moved away from Toph. But instead of going to joining the quickly growing crowd of people she knelt next to the chair that she had placed Toph on and grabbed one of her hands.

As soon as Azula had moved Katara focused her attention on Toph's throat and seconds later she was drawing the water from it. Coughing violently Toph managed to say "Where's Firefly?"

"I'm here Toph." she said squeezing her hand slightly.

The entire crowd who moments before had been clamoring loudly were silent and still. It took a few minutes for the firebending prodigy to notice it but when she did. She wished she hadn't. A mixture of dread and shame gripped her as she dared to look away from Toph. Right into the gold gaze of Mai. Her eyes were the size of quarters and her mouth was hanging open. _There's so many of them…_

The silence that had descended was broken seconds later as Ty Yi spoke, "Pff. Go figure the clumsy helpless blind girl is a filthy Dove Chaser."

Azula's head jerked in her direction, as did Zuko's, Mai's, and Ty Lee's. It was Ty Yi, Ty Yi was considered to be far worse then Azula; while Azula was feared for her sharp wit and scathing remarks, Ty Yi was feared for exacting lasting physical damage onto anyone stupid enough to cross her path.

Before anyone could speak, Azula did and everyone literally took six or seven steps back, "Ty Yi, if you value your pretty face, you will leave right now. Or I will start shooting lightning at you."

Scoffing she said, "Oh is that right, well if you do that, then I will have to arrange it so that when your sent to prison for using your bending on me, that daddy is your cell ma-"

Her words were cut off as Mai threw a dagger at her throat barely nicking it and said, in a low voice that would have sent Koh the face stealer running for the hills, "Oh, I'm sorry it seems I have mistaken you voice for a cock roach. This time I won't miss." the merest flash of silver sent her running away, screaming bloody murder.

"Seeing as how I don't know this many people I suggest that everyone go's back to enjoying their afternoon." continued Mai as she flashed several more knifes to the many spectators.


	7. The Walk Home

**Unexpected Occurrances Seven; End**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or it characters  
I own only the plots/ideas/situations that I have placed them in **

* * *

While Mai succeeded in dispersing the crowd, Azula focused her attention back on Toph who had started shivering violently.

"Ty Lee, go start the car, Mai go get our stuff we're leaving now." ordered Azula. While the two of them did as she instructed she leaned forward and whispered in Toph's ear, "Time for another piggyback ride whether you like it or not."

Katara, Sokka, Aang, Suki, Yue, and Zuko watched in disbelieving shock and awe as Toph allowed the firebender to lift her off the chair and position her onto her back. The violently shivering blind earthbender hadn't let out a single protest at the injustice.

Azula had reached the half way point to the car when Toph whispered into her ear, voice quiet, "You're probably the only person who I would ever let do this. Help me I mean."

Keeping her voice low, Azula said, "And your probably the only person who will be allowed to touch my scars. Which will somehow make me less ashamed of them. Make them less disgusting. Less painful to catch a fleeting glimpse of everyday in the mirror."

"S-scars?" stuttered Toph.

"Surely you could tell just from listening to my voice or reading my movements on certain days at school that I was nursing an injury that I had received from my father the night before. Particularly burns, those sons of bitches stung every time my clothes brushed against them, until I managed to bandage them up. But most days I didn't want to stick around the morning afterwards, so I had to suck it up and try to hold out until the day ended. Before I could finally take proper measures to help the burns heal without them scarring more then necessary."

Closing her eyes Toph inhaled deeply and exhaled,

"Those days were agony for me. I hated it when you came to school with a new one. On those days I really wanted to reach out and tell you that it was me who had been giving you valentines day gifts. But I had no way of knowing if you were a Dove Chaser and I was still trying to come to terms with that fact that I was a Dove Chaser myself. I'm sorry for not saying anything sooner, I just couldn't ever manage to spit the words out." the self hatred and guilt were crystal clear to Azula; Its my fault that you kept getting hurt by him.

"Don't ever be sorry, Toph. Your notes and music said everything to me that I ever needed to hear from you." Azula paused here so that she could be positive that her earthbender was listening,

"When my father would come for me and when he left, the only thing that kept me from running a knife across my throat was your music. Whenever his voice would whisper into my ear telling me I was weak or going soft I would drown it out by listening to your music as loud as I could. Your music was one of the few things in my life that didn't eventually cause me misery. It gave me the strength to keep fighting the losing battle that was my life." Azula's tone sounded incredibly vulnerable to Toph.

Instead of saying anything, Toph tightened her grip on the firebender just enough to let her know that Toph understood what telling her that had cost the other girl. For a split second after she had spoken, Azula panicked until she felt Toph's reassuring squeeze.

Moments later and Mai's black jeep came into view, surprisingly Mai had beat them to it and had already loaded their stuff into the back of it.

"Alright, Azula set Toph down and get in first. There's already a blanket in their for you two. Toph when she's ready for you, get in and sit on her lap."

Before Azula could set Toph down she jumped off of her and landed shakily on her feet, blushing she said, "W-what?"

"Your girlfriend's a walking space heater, she'll be able to warm you up faster if your sitting on her. Unless you'd rather freeze." said Mai as she watched Toph shiver.

A few minutes later and Toph had climbed into the vehicle, before she did as Mai had instructed, the blind girl hesitated. Sensing her hesitation Azula said, voice so low that only the blind girl heard,

"This isn't easy for me Toph, skin contact with other people will never be easy for me. When all it has ever resulted in, for me, is excruciating pain. But I learned six months ago that it can be the best damn thing in the world when it's the right person holding you." While Toph couldn't see it, Azula's face was flushing the lightest shade of pink as she finished her confession to Toph.

Once Azula had said that Toph slowly sat on her girlfriend's lap and as she settled, Azula snaked her arms around Toph's waist and pulled the girl firmly against her.

"Awe, don't they just look absolutely adorable together, Mai?" was Ty Lee's ever exuberant exclamation to her girlfriend from the driver's seat as she caught a brief glimpse of the two of them sitting together like they were.

Smirking slightly Mai said, "Most definitely Ty, say did you happen to bring your camera? This is a Polaroid moment if I ever did see one."

"Damn it all. I forgot it and left it at home." she said before dissolving into giggles.

Azula having been subjected to her friends' teasing natures for a while, didn't bat an eye at their comments, but she noticed that Toph's face had a dusting of light pink to it. Upon seeing that something urged Azula to positioned her mouth right next to the earthbender's left ear and say, washing the ear with a wave of warm breath, "Your really cute when your blushing." Azula felt Toph's body shudder at her words. _What the hell am I doing? _

As both Azula's warm breath and word's hit her, a different kind of warmth spread throughout the Blind Devil's body quickly putting a complete stop to her violent shivers. Once she could think coherently again Toph said, stuttering slightly, "I see that your m-methods of w-warming someone u-up are quite e-effective. A-are all f-firebenders l-like that?"

Although Toph couldn't see it Azula had a shy smile on her face, not knowing what had possessed her to do that. Before she knew what she was doing again, her left hand slowly started trailing its way up Toph's perfectly toned abdomen, her fingertips held an unnatural heat in them and made Toph experience an insanely pleasant tingling warm sensation spread throughout her entire body, as those fingers continued their upward journey.

The moment that her fingertips had grazed skintight fabric Azula's left hand returned to were it had been resting not fifteen seconds before. Giving Toph a second to untangle her thought's Azula did that same thing as before and sent a wave of warm breath over her ear before whispering, "Yeah, you could say that all firebenders' passions run deep."

This time as her body shuddered she had to clench her teeth together tightly to keep the moan rising in her throat from escaping. Having barely managed to suppress that one, she felt another threatening to escape as her mind registered that Azula's left had was drawing random abstract circle patterns across her toned abdomen. Once her hand had moved from one place to the next, the muscles that those fingertips danced across contracted and quivered rapidly, painfully demanding their immediate return.

Through clenched teeth Toph managed to speak, without letting a single moan escape, "A-Azula, I-I'm n-not…p-please s-stop. Azula."

Immediately following Toph's words Azula tore her hand away from Toph's body and clenched it into a fist that turned her knuckles white. Taking six or seven deep breaths Azula rewound the last four minutes in her head and once she had her eyes widened in some thing that was a mixture of shock and fear.

_**Let's see you weasel your way out of this and no I had nothing to do with what you just did. **_

Her breathing was shallow and her voice trembled as she spoke "I-I'm…I-I don't k-know w-what just…T-Toph I-I'm sorry."

_Damn it Toph! You have to fix this now! _

Breathing deeply Toph reached for Azula's left arm for she had heard Azula's knuckles cracking against the strain, once she had grazed it, Toph quick as a striking cobra grabbed it with her left hand. She then started to slowly convince Azula to relax her left hand by massaging it with her right. Once she felt Azula start to relax her hand, Toph whispered quietly, "Firefly, whatever it is that your thinking right now. Don't be. I'm not ready for this yet and it was just a surprise is all. I could never be angry with you. I understand that this was probably really difficult for you to even fathom doing. Let alone actually doing it. I'm grateful for the gesture it means the world to me that your willing to trust me like that and that you are not going to press this. It's why I love you so much, Firefly."

Azula's heart was beating painfully against her ribcage as she whispered back, voice steady, "I love you too, Toph."

With the whole Jeep Incident behind the two of them, it was moments later when the Jeep had turned onto the ridiculously long drive way that eventually led to the Obsidian family's mansion. Once the jeep had pulled up and they exited the car, Azula's mother invited everyone to stay the night and the most enthusiastic one to agree out of the three of them, was Toph.

* * *

**Later that night…**

* * *

"F-Firefly, can I ask you something?" was the timidly asked question from behind the firebender. Rolling over so that she was facing Toph, Azula said, "Ask away."

_Come on Toph, just ask, she's not going to say no. _

Inhaling and exhaling quickly Toph asked, in the softest and not to mention most timid voice that Azula had ever heard the earthbender use, "I want to see what you look like."

As if she was expecting it Toph continued in the same voice, before Azula could say anything, "Only in order to do that, your going to have to close your eyes and trust me."

"Alright, I trust you Toph." as she said that she closed her eyes but was still a little tinny tiny bit weary.

When Azula had said yes, Toph's heart had decided to take up residence in her mouth as she slowly sat up and turned so that she was sitting Indian style and was facing Azula.

Without the slightest bit of hesitation Toph had tentatively and slowly brought one of her hands to Azula's left cheekbone. She lightly but firmly followed it to Azula's nose. For the next ten minutes Toph lightly moved her hands across every last smooth inch of Azula's face, hoping to burn every last angle and curve of it into her memory.

For a few seconds after she had closed her eyes nothing happened and just as she was about to open her eyes. Azula felt one of Toph's fingertips grazed her left cheekbone. At first Toph's touch could barely be registered by her skin but as Toph continued to trace her face. Her touch became firmer but it was still feather light.

"A beautiful face for a beautiful voice." whispered Toph sounding way too close to Azula. Her eyes shot open when she felt Toph lay down next to her lying much closer then she had before. While Azula was on her left side, Toph was on her back, and Azula couldn't stop her right hand from reaching out to grasp Toph's left.

"You're the pretty one here. Not me."

"Nonsense, if I say your beautiful its truth." was Toph's immediate response.

"Firefly?"

Rolling her eyes Azula said, "Yes"

"I'm going to kiss you now. Be-" Toph's speech was abruptly cut off as two of the softest but firmest lips that Toph's fingers had glided across not to long ago were pressed to hers, seconds later Toph reciprocated. A full minute passed before Azula was forced to pull back a few inches and say breathlessly, "You don't ever have to ask to kiss me Toph. Not ever. But I appreciate the gesture and it means the world to me and that my Blind Devil is why I love you so much."

As a smile spread across the Blind Devil's face and as she felt Azula lay down next to her, resting her head on her shoulder, she said, to her Firefly, her face flushed "I love you too."

* * *

**The End**


End file.
